Texans Dominate Browns, Advance to AFC Divisional Playoff Round
HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Texans are bound for the second round of the NFL Playoffs.
Thanks to their 45-14 dismantling of the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round on Saturday at AT&T Stadium, the Texans have earned their first playoff win since 2019 and will move on to round No. 2 next weekend.
Things got off to a good start for the Texans, who took a 3-0 lead after both teams traded punts on the first three drives of the game.
The Browns answered that field goal with a Kareem Hunt touchdown, marching down the field behind a balanced attack.
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Houston then got a quick answer of its own behind a decisive C.J. Stroud touchdown drive, putting Houston up 10-7.
After trading touchdowns on the next three drives - including two for the Texans on passing scores by Stroud - Houston took a two-score lead into the locker room at halftime.
It was a record-setting half for Stroud, who set the NFL rookie record for passing yards in a half and tied the mark for passing touchdowns in a game by a rookie in just two quarters.
The Texans then took that momentum into the second half, taking a commanding 38-14 lead after back-to-back pick-sixes by Steven Nelson and Christian Harris broke the game wide open for Houston.
The Texans then put the icing on the cake early in the fourth quarter, with running back Devin Singletary rushing from 19 yards out, to give Houston a commanding 45-14 lead.
As a team, the Texans racked up 356 yards of total offense, including 274 yards through the air from Stoud, who completed 16 of 21 passes with three touchdowns.
The Houston defense also held Cleveland to just 57 yards on the ground, forcing the game to be one dimensional, and giving the Texans a major advantage.
With the win, the Texans now move on to the divisional round of the playoffs where their next opponent will decided based on the outcomes of the other AFC matchups.
